Or for those of you that think I am writing ‘lactation’ – let’s go with phonetic spelling: lake-a-shun. Or hyphenated. Lake-ation.

Whichever way you prefer (I still prefer lakation – witty IMHO! But I am clearly confusing many of you!), I am downright giddy to get up to the lake tonight, returning Sunday night.

Isn’t it funny how right before a vacation, even ‘just’ a few days, you always come into it crawling? So READY to unwind (un-WINE-D!) and let go of it all for a few days?

Well, that’s where I am at. Again. “Just” a little more than a month after the last epic lakation.

It’s been a crazy busy summer, but in so many GOOD ways. I am again, however, realizing that I am doing it again. Piling plans on top of plans, classes on top of teaching (lots and lots of teaching of late, love, love love! EVEN the opportunity to teach a class in which Tanya herself attended. No pressure, owner/creator of barre n9ne and all…but wow, the adrenaline? Unreal. The feeling? An honor. Truly.), and it all adds up to…a much needed screeching halt.

I am going into this weekend with a back to basics mentality. I vow, promise, MUST come out of this weekend with a better approach to plan-making. Back to basics. Learning to sit down. Hold me to it, mmk?

On that note, it’s time to plow through the rest of this workday and get myself up to the lake. Where bliss awaits and it all melts away. ❤

When I wrote ‘live more, chronicle less’ I honestly didn’t think I would adjust to it as quickly as I have. And yet, a week has gone by and I haven’t written one post. Or thought about it much, either.

And it’s been great.

I guess it means it was the right decision for me right now, huh? Yet, I have all these thoughts and half-written posts flitting through my brain, yet nothing too earthshattering or ‘complete’ yet, so I figure I might as well keep it to myself (wink) rather than bore everyone with minutia!

However, I do have a few snippets to share…in pictures.

On capturing incredible images. Like this one, in Maine, after a fierce storm, just before I dove into homemade blueberry pie that my sister Jess and I made with my Gram on #lakation

Or running in my sports bra…’naked’ if you will. And it felt freeing and with much-needed ‘air-conditioning’ as the weather was downright muggy and thick when we attempted this at the lake (running during lakation was a mental game, but I proudly ran 4 times and pushed through…how’s that for a mini run-imation?)

…and spending time with this man, who I love so very much. And sharing some moments that will remain unspoken, on the dock, lounging, talking, just being (reminiscent of this moment last summer…)

And spending much-needed niece and ‘Mimi’ (what Isabel calls my mom!) time together last week during one of our now (hopefully!) regular ‘sister dinners’ My niece is growing so fast, I can hardly believe it. She says auntie and calls for us, she knows us! She knows her ‘uncle’ Scott and her face lights up in recognition. It’s the most awesome feeling in the world, to know that she KNOWS me. ❤

I am living, not chronicalling, the details. And it feels better than I ever thought possible. There’s stuff I want to talk about, but it can wait. For time to do it. But right now, I’m having far too much fun living the sh#@t out of summer. XOXO friends, cheers!

I sit here not quite sure how to capture the ‘Maine blogger summit’ this past weekend. It was one of those weekends where words can’t adequately put it, but I think one of the biggest things from this weekend that I took away (besides absolutely LOVING T and her man GJ, Sunshine and CBG!) was simplicity and learnings.

Simplicity and learnings in…

simplicity in…the ability to just talk and laugh and talk some more almost the entire weekend without skipping a beat. (and cheeks and abs that hurt, literally, from laughing so hard, ALL WEEKEND LONG)

learnings in...realizing that maybe I don’t express my thoughts or feelings as obviously as I thought, causing everyone think I was *not* having fun, when honestly, I don’t think I could have had MORE fun – future post on this coming later this week, I do believe 😉 (but hence my nickname for the weekend being ‘poker face’ – which resulted in a PRICELESS moment at breakfast, as everyone was ribbing me on my poker face…juuuust as the song ‘Poker Face’ came on the radio. Hi-larious!!)

simplicity in...lingering over glass (after glass…) of wine (and assorted cocktails!) all afternoon and into the evening and just connecting on so many levels (SOmany levels…up till 1 am on our FIRST night together, with QUITE a few pictures that shall remain behind lock and key, and quote after hilarious ‘that’s what she said’ quotes to be said!).

learnings *and* simplicity in...continually looking around and still finding it incredible that such a different (yet, in many ways, similar) group of people could hit it off right off the bat, the entire weekend, after not ever meeting or, in some cases, even talking on the phone or Skyping. Living together, essentially, for 3ish days and it being as perfect and epic as you can imagine? The phenomenon of blogging, I do believe.

learnings in...firsts…my ability to roll with the er, action over the course of the weekend, was a first. I guess I started to see that maybe my ‘poker face’ stems back to the ‘me’ I thought I shed. Some former shyness and hatred over being the center of attention came bubbling up, admittedly, over some of the topics we discussed, but ya know? It stretched my boundaries a bit and made me realize that there is still a lot of discomfort to be had in the ‘ole comfort zone.

learnings in...falling in love with M even more as he seriously got along SO well with everyone. Given he is not into this blogging thang nearly as much as the rest of us, I wondered how he would handle it. But he was his usual hilarious self, garnerning himself his own nickname (‘little man’ as he sat on a small foot rest at the table, as we were down one chair, and he looked SO funny, low to the table, compared to the rest of it…the name stuck, along with quite a few of his dirty jokes and references, upholding his ability to TWSS with the best of them!!).

simplicity in...a constant musical playlist that seriously ROCKED. Good job, CBG, on tunes spanning the 80s and 90s (even a little Jon Secada…bitchin’) and an uh, interesting Canadian playlist, to boot 😉

As I close out this post (more to come, pictures etc), I still don’t think this adequately captures the weekend, but it’s what is swirling in my bran…but maybe that’s the beauty of it. That it isn’t something you *can* capture perfectly, unless you are there. Sort of like when T took a picture of the lake, sparkling blue, brilliant sunshine) and said ‘a picture can’t even capture how beautiful this is.’

And ya know what? She’s absolutely right.

Thank you T, Sunshine, CBG and GJ for coming and spending a weekend with us…you are all truly amazing, beautiful, hilarious, loving and we had so much fun with you. Cheers…to hopefully crossing paths again. I do believe it will happen 🙂

Like this:

Aptly named, a la CBG in his post yesterday, the first-ever Maine blogger summit is about to get underway and I couldn’t be more excited! It was an idea spawned back and forth between Sunshine and me a couple of months ago (originally, last year, actually, but we weren’t able to swing it!), and I do believe it is going to be one of those weekends that is unforgettable (including not only this fabulous couple but also T, and her man GJ! I’ve known this little group since almost the very beginning, it feels so incredible that we finally get to meet!).

It’ll be one of those weekends where I realize – yet again – how much I love blogging in very large part for all of the beautiful people I have ‘met’ throughout the 3+ years that I have been blogging here, and in my old blog. It’s truly amazing how connected I feel to some people that I have never actually met in person, who ‘get’ me almost scarily so well, who support, laugh, and share in my journey with me, as I with them. Through the years, the blog-o-lution, everything, I have some amazing friends here, and this weekend is truly one I will cherish, with people that have ‘been there’ since just about the very beginning. And wow, how different then vs. now, for all of us.

(In fact, I was just telling this girl all about the weekend at barre n9ne yesterday morning and realizing, as we spoke, that WE too met through this very blog, and she mentioned another blog (this girl!), a girl I just so happened to have also met ‘IRL’ two years ago and who I have the honor of attending her wedding in Mexico this fall! Talk about six degrees of separation!!)

I look forward to much laughter, much wine, much lake and jetski time together. I look forward to sharing this haven with some really special people, and doing everything in my power to make it as fun, relaxing and worry-free as possible. As hostess to people flying in from halfway across the country, and driving 10+ (!) hours to meet? It’s the LEAST I can do.

Like this:

It’s been raining for the past three days straight. Not just raining, either, but downpours, windy, raw, and just downright miserable. So, rather than complain about that (since I’ve already done enough of that already!), I figured I would count some #littlethings that are making me happy this Monday.

A relatively unplanned weekend. Including an unexpected date night out with M. We opted to stay local and hit up our favorite wine bar and then a small Mediterranean restaurant that we absolutely adore (the chef was actually featured on the Today Show last year!). I love our date nights out no matter what (and in!), but sometimes we just have the best conversations when it’s just us, a glass of wine, and no distractions.

A VERY lazy Sunday (see #1)…I am not quit sure, but I might have been a titch hungover on Sunday morning. (oops!) So, we had a really lazy Sunday, not even getting off the couch to shower until after 12. Haven’t done that in a LONG time. Needed.

Sunday Funday with my sister Jess and brother in law Scott, post-b9 ass-kicking (by aforementioned sister!). We have the most fun together, and the only thing I wish is that we lived just a smidge closer so those nights can be more frequent. But, prioritizing is going to make it happen.

Monday Funday! Given how shittastic the weather is, M and I decided to extend Sunday Funday into Monday Funday. I am making a little fancy dinner (roasting a leg of lamb for dinner, like I did for Easter!) and perhaps a glass of wine to knock down the Monday blues.

Allowing PMS. Yep, I’m counting that as a #littlething for Monday. Rather than rail against it, I am going to embrace it. That might mean an extra piece of chocolate, or reworking my workouts this week to have one morning LESS of getting up at 5:15 am (check!) and not getting annoyed at myself for my uber dropsy, clumsy, moody self. Just know it’ll happen and it feels a little easier. (I can feel an EPIC PMS week so I think allowing it a little might quell it a smidge, right? M might be thankful for this one, most of all!).

No more work trips for the foreseeable future. 3 trips in 6 weeks was p-lenty. Knock on wood.

And to top it off? This Friday, I get to meet T (and her man!), Sunshine, and CBG for our epic bloggy weekend in Maine!! I have been dreaming about it every night for the past week, wanting everything to go well, the rain to go away and for it to be as fun as I envision it being. I just feel the pressure of hosting such fabulous people coming from such far distances and want to make it worth it, like WHOA!).

What’s better than that, right? A great list of #littlethings to make a dreary Monday just a smidge better. What’s your #littlething to get you through the Monday blues?